MUMBAI/KOLKATA: Police today seized a laptop purportedly belonging to Peter Mukerjea from his residence in Worli and some documents pertaining to his wife Indrani as they extensively questioned the former Star India CEO and all other accused in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case.
Investigators from Mumbai police also interrogated Sheena's biological father Siddharth Das, who was in a live-in relationship with Indrani Mukerjea, at his residence in Durganagar on the northern fringes of Kolkata.
Police today brought Peter face to face with Indrani, her previous husband Sanjeev Khanna, besides her driver Shyam Rai, and questioned them at suburban Khar police station. While the accused were being quizzed, a police team reached Peter's home, 5 km away from the police station, at around 3 PM and searched his and Indrani's bedrooms.
The investigators impounded a laptop and a few documents belonging to Indrani from there, but no official comment on the developments was available.
Indrani is accused of killing Sheena, her daughter from an earlier relationship, in 2012 over a financial dispute, with the help of Khanna and Rai. Earlier, Peter reached Khar police station in the morning for recording of his statement. Indrani, Khanna and Rai were also brought there a little later.
The police are understood to have questioned the three accused in the presence of Peter and their counsel in perhaps the first such confrontation since Indrani was arrested on August 24 for allegedly murdering Sheena.
Peter had gone to the police station last week, but the Mumbai police had refused to accept a written statement from him and he was told that police will call him for questioning when needed.
On what transpired during the questioning of Siddharth Das, a senior Kolkata police officer said," They (the police) are trying to dig deep into Das' role, if there is any, in the murder case."
On whether Mumbai Police was contemplating interrogating Das in the presence of Indrani, the officer said "That could be a probability. They sought our help and we are extending all possible assistance." Earlier in the day, a Mumbai Police team seized a laptop and papers related to bank accounts and investments of Indrani Mukerjea's former husband and co-accused Sanjeev Khanna from his residence in Hastings area in the southern part of Kolkata.
A local court had earlier extended the police custody of Indrani, Khanna and Rai till September 5. Meanwhile, criminal lawyer Abha Singh has termed the police action of searching Peter's home as "very late" and demanded that he be treated as a "suspect".
"Why Mumbai police gave him full nine days to wipe out all the incriminating evidence against him? Why he kept mum despite knowing all the deeds of Indrani?" Singh asked. Peter, who has been married to Indrani for 13 years and set up a media company with her, had first said he was unaware that Sheena was his wife's daughter as she had been introduced to him as her sister.
However, a few days after Indrani's arrest, Peter amended his version to say Sheena did inform him that she was his step-daughter, but he had no reasons not to believe his Indrani's denial of that claim though he found it "difficult to digest".